This traditional Mardi Gras dessert has a cinnamon sugar swirl inside. I used my bread machine to make the dough. It is topped with a creamy vanilla glaze and festive gold, green and Purple sprinkles.
I have wanted to make a King Cake for sometime now. Every time I decide to make one Mardi Gras is over, so I slip the idea to the back of the burner. I always think I will do it next year, but never do. The cycle continued, until now.
This year I did it and boy was it good. I came up with the brilliant idea of making the dough in your bread maker. The finished bread was soft, sweet and perfect with the cinnamon swirl in the middle.
The colors have significance also. Purple represents justice. The Yellow represents power and Green represents faith. The little baby hidden in the cake represents the baby Jesus. The tradition goes that if you get the trinket in your slice you get to be king or queen for the day. It also means you will need to purchase a King Cake for the following week.
The King Cake takes its name from the biblical Three Kings known as the Magi. In the Catholic Liturgical Season known as the Epiphany, the Magi visit Jesus. This day is known as Twelfth Night (twelve days of Christmas) or the last day of Christmas. King Cakes are enjoyed from Epiphany up to Fat Tuesday. In the middle ages, during much stricter Lenten food laws, it is believed that we made this cake to use up all our eggs and sugar forbidden during Lent. Back then the cakes were not as lavish as the ones we celebrate with now, it is believed they were enjoyed just as much.
King Cake
Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoon butter softened
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
Cinnamon Filling
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter softened
Vanilla Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
green, gold and purple sugar
Directions:
Put the water, flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bread machine. Select the dough setting and run according to the manufacturers recommendations. Once dough is done, grease a cookie sheet and combine the sugar and cinnamon.
Roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Slather the butter over the dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll dough up tightly and wrap it so it forms a wreath. pinch the edges together. Place on the greased cookie sheet and allow to rise for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and milk together. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with green gold and purple sugar while glaze is still wet.
Garnish with beads and slip baby, bean, or coin into the cake.
Note: If you purchased a plastic baby like I did, do not bake the baby in the cake, it is plastic, it will melt, and can be toxic. It is much easier to slip the baby into the cake from the bottom
Peace be with you,
Vonnie
